Transmission switch



3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESS: m l INVENTOR. W/M 5.2760772 By m MANOR/vm.

A Patented Jan. 24, 1922 Moqog.

. H. S. HEARN.

TRANSMISSION SWiTCH.

APPLICATxoN FILED 1AN.9,1920.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

BY @w VAyToRA/EY.

H. S. AHEARN.

' TRANSMISSION sWzTGH. i APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9. 1920.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.'4

3 SHEETS*SHEET 3- INVENTOR. H LSHeaz/z BY M m ATTORNEY.

WITNESS:

7?@ @www HIRAM S. HEARN, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

TRANSMISSION SWITCH.

inoaeoe.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

Application filed January 9, 1920. Serial No. 350,412.

To @ZZ whom t may concern f Be it known that I, HIRAM S. HEARN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Transmission Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive and effective switch adapted for use in` connection with trans mission circuits and power systems for simultaneously opening and closing a plurality of circuits including those of high voltage of the multiple phase type under such conditions as to eliminate arcing and the shunting or jumping of the samel so as to cause a single phase current to pass through multiple phase machinery or the like or the reverse thereof to the injury of such machinery, and otherwise to provide the switch mechanism wherein the capacity so far as handling current is concerned is limited only by the strength of the insulator or insulating units used` at the switch terminals. i

With these and related objects in view as will appear in the course'o-f the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same consists in a construction and combination of parts as shown in the accompanying drawing, it being understood that changes in form, proportion and details may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the principles involved.

In the drawings:

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively plan and side views of a battery of switches arranged in independent transmissionlines or circuits and adapted for simultaneous operation through the movement of a common operat ing lever or unit. l

Figure 3 is a side view of one of the switch units, one of the terminals being shown in section to show more clearly the relation between the parts thereof.

A plurality of switch units A, B, C, may be arranged upon a single support consisting for example of the upights -30 connected by the longitudinal. beamsV 31, arranged as shown in parallel spaced relation, and suitably bolted to the uprights as shown at 32 and braced as at 33, one of the uprights v being utilized as a support` for upper and lower brackets 34 and 35 for supporting an operating rod 36 to which is connected the operating handle or lever 37. The latter is preferablyof ber or other insulating material and should be grasped by the operator only when standing upon a suitably insulated platform or table (notshown), said lever normally being locked in position so that it may not be subject to accidental or surreptitious movement, as by providing it with a locking ring or eye 38 for registration with a similar ring or eye 39 on the bracket 35 for engagement by a padlock 40.

Transversely connecting and terminally extending beyond the longitudinal beams 3l are cross bars 4l and 42, of which the latter are preferably channel iron, secured as by bolts 43 to said longitudinal beams and pro-.

vided at their extremities with registering bearings 44 and 45 for the reception of the insulator pins 46 which are thus revolubly mounted in the cross bars and are arranged in transversely opposite positions to form the support for the complementary elements of the respective switch units. Said insu- .lator pins are preferably provided with collars 46- to bear upon the channel bars 42 and are cemented at their upper ends to the insulators 47 which they respectively support.

At their lower extremities the insulator pins are reducedand shaped to form cross sectionally angular or irregular portions for engagement by correspondingly formed openings in the hubs of the bell crank levers 50, of which the arms 51, which are preferablyformed separately from the arms 52 are connected by links 53 with arms 54 on the transversely opposite insulator'pin while the arms, 52 are connected in series by links 55. The terminal bell crank lever of the seriesis connected by a link 56 with an arm 57 carried by the operating rod 36 to the end that by means of the operating lever or handle 37 all of the insulator pins may be turned in a common direction to either close or open the several circuits controlled by the switch units A, B and C, of which obviously any desired number may be employed in a single apparatus for simultaneous actuation.

Carried by each insulator pin and secured -to the. insulator supported thereby is a methreaded opening 65 for engagement by the threaded end of a cap screw 66 which extends downwardly through a swivel joint Also supported by and resting upon the table of the cap is a switch blade 68 adapted to cooperate with the complemental blade carried by the transversely opposite element of the same unit to close the circuit through the switch, the adjacent free ends of said blades being adapted to overlap in ordei` to form the contact, and said overlapping portions preferablyv being beveled to form contact surfaces, said blades being of yielding or resilient material to provide for an eicient electrical contact, and one of the blades of Ieach pair preferably being spaced slightly from its supporting cap by means of a distance or spacing plate 70 as shown at the right in Figure 3, so that in closing the switch the blade which rests upon said distance or spacing plate will with certainty pass over and overlap the complemental blade carried by the opposite element of the switch unit,

'Connection with these blades of the line wire terminals, is effected through the swivel A joints 67 having the outer socket arms 71 with which the lines 72 are connected, and the inner socket arm 73 from which extends the braid' proper pig-tails 74 secured as at 75 to said blades. The cap screws 66 serve to hold said blades in place upon -the tables 64, by passing throughsuitable openings 76 therein, the cap screw of one member or ele-` ment of each switch unit also passing through an opening in the distance or spacing plate 70 and the heads of said cap screws bearing upon washers 79 which rest upon the upper ends of the swivel joints.

As so far described an efficient switch construction has been provided, wherein the opening and closing of the several circuits (controlled respectively by the `switch units may be effected simultaneously. To the end that the possibility of a shunt or cross over is reduced, it is desirable to minimize this possibility, particularly in dealing with cury rent of a voltage of 11,000 or more, and to this end the elements of each switch unit are provided with auxiliary switch members or circuit breaker arms or horns, preferably formed of hard brass rods, having their outer or fast terminals which are laterally offset as shown at 8O secured to the blades 68 by means of clamps 81, held in place by bolts 82, said auxiliary switch members having resilient or spring arms 83 which lie in contactwith the upper surfaces of the switch blades 68 respectively, and primarily serve as a means of fortifying the contact between the overlapping or contact surfaces of said blades, as will' be particularly obvious by reference to Figure 3 of the drawings wherein, the switch being closed, the inner endof one of the auxiliary switch arms rest upon the upper or ever are provided with terminal contact ele- 1 ments consisting of angularly disposed arms 8-L" and 85, the former of which are extended transversely and obliquely inward or toward the opposite switch member in a plane parallel with the switch blade while the latter` springing from the outer extremities of the arms 84 incline upwardly and rearwardly in relation to the direction of closing movement 0f the switch member and pass over the vertical plane of said switch members as shown clearly. These contacting elements of the auxiliary switch members extend beyond the plane of possible contact of the switch blade and have a yielding or spring tendency toward each other or in a direction parallelv with the length of the switch blades and hence across the path of movement'of the switch blade to the end that while such contact elements of the auxiliary switch elements remain in contact and in current conveying relation until after a complete separation of the switch blade has been effected and points of engagementwhich are on thef upwardly divergent arms 85 gradually approach the angles' formed by the jguncture vof said arms 85 with the transversely extending arms 8.4, and when the disengagement of said l avoid the possibility of an arc at that point. l I

Thus the auxiliary switch members may be described as having contact elements of which the circuit closing shown is in excess of that of the main switch elements represented by the blade, said contact elements having contact areas which are moved beyond the plane of the main switch members as the latter are moved to open the circuit, and are yieldingly impelled toward each other while in contact so that upon disengagement or release, said contact elements cross each others vpaths in reverse directions to insure the abrupt or instantaneous formation of a circuit opening gap. Obviously the stress of the spring or yielding tendency of the contact faces or eley erating rod 36 is preferably provided with an insulating section 86 having reduced extremities 87 fitted in the tubular rod members, and while the swivel joint 6 7 and contact blades 68 should be of copper andthe auxiliary. switch members or horns of hard brass,.the other'metallic parts of the appamounted inthe frame and carrying insulator elements, switch 'arms carried by said pins above said insulator elements for simultaformed for engagement, line wire connections with the switch members of each unit,

angularly extending arms carried by the pins said last named lever arms wherebyto ei'ect simultaneous movement of the switch members of all the units.

2. A switch apparatus of the character described comprising a support, vertically excarrying insulator members, switch blades -carried by said pins, and means for rotating the pins in the same direction whereby to move the switch blades toward or from each clined resilient ingly engage. l Y Y Y In testimony .whereof I aixk my signature.

HIRAM s. HEARN.

portions adapted to conformtending pins carried by the support and A other, the meetingfends of the switch blades fleeing vformed with. laterally extending inneous movement in opposite directions, said switch members having their free ends 

